Haines has been without a permanent borough manager since May 2020, when the Assembly fired its last manager. Now, a fresh search has yielded 10 applicants with experience ranging from city administration, landscape architecture, and construction to law enforcement and prisons. KHNS’ Corinne Smith reports.
The Haines Borough hasn’t had a permanent manager since the assembly fired Debra Schnabel on a 4-3 vote more than a year ago. Haines Clerk Alekka Fullerton has filled in as interim. But it hasn’t been easy to find a replacement. And earlier this year the assembly’s top choice declined the job offer.
Ten applicants have stepped up, some familiar and some new, to be the next Borough Manager – who is appointed by the Assembly and serves as the chief administrative officer, as well as manages all borough staff and offices.
The borough posted the applicants on its website last week. We’ll take them one at a time:
Helen Alten is currently the deputy clerk of the Haines Borough. Prior to that she worked briefly at the Juneau Economic Council, after serving six years as Museum Director for the Haines Sheldon Museum. She cited her experience in the borough office, managing budgets, and coordinating staff, as well as fundraising and leadership in museums, non-profits, and the Haines community. See application here.
Cameron Caputi is a recent university graduate. For the past few months’ he’s worked as finance director for a city of about 9,000 people in Pennsylvania. Before that, he acted in various economic and public policy fellowships and internships, and completed his Masters of Public Policy and Management in May 2021. See application here.
John Cox says he’s worked seasonally in Alaska for the past 20 years. He has experience as a bookkeeper for Chilkat Guide in Haines as well as an office manager at a logging camp, a summer lodge, built homes and worked in tourism and seafood. He cites his experience in management, accounting, payroll, and customer service. See application here.
Jennifer Holmes works for the State of Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation as a section chief, managing citations and suspensions of licenses, analyzing trends, and volunteers on the Governor’s OWI or Operating While Intoxicated task force. Prior to that she worked as a tour business manager for the billion dollar entertainment company Feld Entertainment in Palmetto Florida, which produces major shows like Disney on Ice. She has a background in law enforcement as a corrections officer for nine years, and volunteers with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary unit. She cited her skills in team building, program development and operations. See application here.
Annette Kreitzer served in various Republican administrations and political offices with the State of Alaska for more than 20 years. She was a commissioner for the Alaska Department of Administration under Governor Sarah Palin. Before that, she served as Chief of Staff for Republican Senator then Lieutenant Governor Loren Leman (from 1995 – 2007). She lives resides in Juneau but owns property in Haines. She cited experience with strategic planning, managing budgets and staff, and the legislative process. She also volunteers with the Red Cross, and as a Firearm Safety Instructor. See application here.
Richard Kraft is a Juneau-based construction manager with projects across Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. and has overseen engineering and quality control for construction projects in Anchorage and Ketchikan, and in Washington in Idaho. He is a corporate representative for the Juneau Chamber of Commerce and for the American Public Works Association. See application here.
Gerald Merrill is a deputy warden at a minimum security prison in central Maine. He has worked for the Maine Department of Corrections for the last 20 years, He’s worked as an also as a state investigator, and taught as an adjunct professor of criminal justice at Kaplan University, a private college in Maine. He cited his investigations, criminal justice, budget and operations experience. See application here.
John Millan is the deputy director of public works for the city of Pasco in Washington state, and has a master’s in public administration. He’s worked in that state’s public sector for the past 20 years, and also for 20 years with the Army National Guard as a sergeant, including active duty in Iraq in 2004 where he was awarded a Bronze Star. He cited his fiscal, budgetary and leadership skills. See application here.
Maeve Nevins-Lavtar is a senior park planner and landscape architect for the Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department based in Chugiak, Alaska. Her experience includes project management for over 50 municipal projects spanning $30 million dollars, including designing and managing trail restoration, building playgrounds, dog parks, infrastructure and public facilities. She’s also an avid skier, mountain bike instructor, and volunteers with families of military deceased around the world. See application here.
Mark Payne is based in Cloudcroft, New Mexico has over 30 years experience in federal law enforcement. He’s worked in Alaska’s Medicaid fraud unit and for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration for over 20 years. See application here.
The top four or five candidates will be recommended to the Borough Assembly, who will then begin interviews. The new borough manager hired will likely start work in September.
There will be a special personnel committee meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday July 13th via Zoom for the first review of the Haines Borough manager applications. See login details on the Haines Borough calendar here.
(Correction: This article previously stated John Millan served for 20 years in the Army National Guard prior to working in Washington state’s public sector. Those two occupations overlapped: from 1993-2013 he served in the National Guard, and from 2001-Present he worked in public service.)
